Bobbin reel



W. HERMANN Sept. 3, 1940.

BoBBIN REEL Filed May 6, 1939 1:1. .naman-n:

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Patented Sept. 3, 1940 unirse stares BOBBIN REEL pany Application May 6, 1939, Serial No. 272,066

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a bobbin reel. and more particularly to a reel adapted for dispensing strands of tape, twine, or similar material.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a reel adapted to hold bobbins or spools of various dimensions within the limits of the holder and in which an automatic braking or locking device is provided, whereby, as soon as tension is relieved on the strand being unwound from the bobbin, the brake will automatically operate to prevent further rotation of the bobbin.

lt is a further object to provide a reel in which the braking or locking mechanism may be independent of the bobbin itself although controlled thereby and which will be entirely automatic in its operation immediately that the tension is relieved. The independent braking mechanism provides a reel capable of supporting bobbins of any size, within reasonable limits. The invention provides a brake-control means wherein the brake is positively locked against braking action as long as tension is maintained on the strand being unwound from the bobbin and the brake is completely free from all connection with the tensioning device as soon as the tension on the tape is relieved.

A further object is the provision of a reel of the character described in which the brake is automatically operative in either direction, deperding upon the direction and rotation of the ree.

It is also an object to provide a braking device which is dependent solely for its braking operation on the momentum of the bobbin; also, wherein the momentum-controlled brake may be equally eiective for automatic operation in either direction.

A further object is the provision of a braking mechanism of the type described, in which the brake is automatically released immediately that tension is applied to the tape.

It is also an object to provide an automatic friction-control reel lock which will positively vlock the bobbin in either direction of rotation and which will be of few parts, cheap to manufacture, easy to assemble, and which will not ca .y get out of order.

Further objects will be apparent from'the speciiication and the appended claims.

in the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective View of one embodiment of the invention and illustrates the tape being drawn from the reel under tension.

Fig. 2 is an axial sectional view through the embodiment illustrated in Fig. l and is taken on the line substantially corresponding to line 2-2 of Fig. l, the position of the bobbin in the holder being shown in dotted lines. v

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on a 5 line substantially corresponding to line 3-3 of Fig. 2 with the bobbin removed.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of one type of bobbin adapted for use in the bobbinholder illustrated. l0

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View of a slightly different embodiment of friction-tensioning means.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the embodiment illustrated comprises a base l having uprights 2 and 3 thereon between which is supported a removable bobbin Il. The bobbin may be of any of the usual types, preferably having end discs 5, as shown in Fig. fi, each of which are provided with a central axial opening l and a plurality of small openings 8 which latter are adapted to be engaged by pins 9 (Fig. 2) on a brake disc lil. The brake disc is rigidly secured to a stub shaft Il having an inwardly extending portion ila, adapted to enter the opening l-in the bobbin disc 5. rhe stub shaft l l is rotatably mounted in the upright 3 and is provided with a slot l2, by which it is retained in a suitable bearing in the upright 3 by means of a screw i3, the end of which is adapted to enter the 30 slot l2.

Although in the present embodiment the pins 9 have been shown for engagement in corresponding openings 8 of the bobbin, it will be apparent that any suitable means for engaging the bobbin may be provided whereby the bobbin may be removably mounted and at the same time will rotate the disc Il! whenever tension is applied to the tape lll.

The upright 2 on the base l is provided at its upper end with a slidable shaft l5 which is mounted in axial alignment with the stub shaft Il rand provided with a small ilange I6 and a forwardly extending portion which latter is adapted to enter the corresponding opening 1 in the opposite end of the reel Ll.

The shaft l5 is provided with a knurled handle Il and is secured in any adjusted position in the upright 2 by means of a thumb screw lll. The thumb screw is adapted to secure the shaft in any adjusted position so that bobbins of various lengths as well as diameters may be rotatably supported.

A'yoke or bridle I9 is provided with inwardly 55 extending arms 20 and 2i which arms are pivoted at 22 adjacent the rear of the base. The front or closed end of the yoke is provided with a wire 23 secured thereto in a manner to provide an elongated slot 24, through which the `tape or string ld extends.

The yoke i9 normallyA rests on the base l, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. It will be apparent that when tension is applied to the tapev ll-,the yoke will be raised to the full line position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. l

The arm 2@ of the yoke i9 is provided with an inwardly extending pin 25, which, when the yoke 'is in raised position shown by full lines, is adapted to engage in the apex of a V-shaped slotv 26 in the downwardly extending end of a brake-arm 2l which latter is pivoted to the support 3 at 28. rlhe brake-arm 27 extends upwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, and is provided with an opening 29 in axial alignment with the shaft Il for the purpose of providing clearance around the shaft so that the brake-arm may oscillate on its pivot 28.

The brake-arm 21 extendsupwardly to the top of thebrake disc HB and is provided with laterally spaced inturned brake shoes or locking members which extend over the top of the brake disc l@ and normally provide clearance therebetween as long as tension is applied to the tape.

It will be apparent that as long as the yoke l is held in raised position by the tension of the tape M, the brake-arm 2d will be held vertically centered in the axial plane of the device and the bobbin will be free to rotate with the application ofv tension to the tape.

The upper end of the brake-arm 2l is provided with a comparatively small friction disc 3l, which, in the present embodiment, comprises a small fibre button having a reduced portion 32 for engagement in a corresponding opening in the brake lever. This friction button normally bears against the outer face of the brake-disc il) and tends to move the brake-lever in the direction of rotation of the bobbin.

In order to retain the upper end of the lever at all times in frictional engagement with the brake disc iii, a small plunger 33 is slidably mounted on the upper end of the support 3 and is urged toward the brake arm by means of a spring 34.

vserted in the device by loosening the thumb screw ,iii and mounting the bobbin between the stub shaft Il and the slidable shaft l5 and securing the bobbin in place by means of the thumb screw i8. The tape i4 is then passed through the elongated slot 24 and as soon as tension is applied. to the tape the yoke I9 will be raised so that the pin 25 engages the apex of the V- shaped slot 26Y in the brake arm and the brake arm will then remain centered with the brake shoes S free from the brake disc Il! as long as the tension is applied to the tape Ill. As soon as this tension is relieved, the yoke i9 will drop to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3, thus releasing the brake armV 2 and allowing the momentum of the spool and the friction of the button '3i against the disc I6 to move one or the other of the brake shoes 30 against the edge of the disc, whereby the disc l0 and bobbin 4 secured thereon will immediately be locked against rotation in one drection. If, for any reason, the bob-bin is then rotated in the other direction, the friction disc 3l moves the brake lever in the opposite direction and the disc is immediately locked against rotation by the opposite brake shoe Sil.

The present embodiment is particularly adapted for use as a reel for tape. However, `in the claims the term strand is used and is intended to mean tape, twine, or any similar material for which the invention is adapted.

Modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of invention. It is therefore desired that the invention be limited only by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus describedthis invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. n a bobbin reel, a disc rotatable with a bobbin supported in said reel, an oscillatable brake lever pivoted eccentrically of said disc and having its free end overhanging said disc, fricticnal means cooperating between said lever and said disc and tending to move said lever to cause braking engagement of said free end with said disc by rotary movement of said disc, and means controlled by the tension of a strand being unwound from said bobbin to prevent said braking movement of said lever.

2. In a bobbin reel rotatable by strand tension, a brake disc rotatable with said bobbin,

means eccentrically pivoted with respect to said disc and having a portion engageable with said disc to lock said disc against rotation in at least one direction, means tending to cause locking engagement of said portion with said disc when said bobbin is rotated, and separate means automatically controlled by applied strand tension to interlock with said pivoted means and make said locking means ineffective until said tension is relieved.

3. A bobbin reel comprising a base, a rotatable' disc supported thereon, means for supporting a bobbin in driving relation thereto, a lever pivoted eccentrically of saidvdisc and having a brake shoe overhanging the opposite edge of said disc lfor braking engagement therewith by movement of said lever,` means cooperating with said disc and lever and tending to rotate said lever into braking position when said bobbin is rotated in strand unwinding direction whereby to cause said braking engagement, a bridle pivoted for swinging movement on said base and adapted to be raised by tension applied to a strand being unwound from said bobbin, and means on said bridle arranged to cause said lever and shoe to assume a non-braking position when said tension is applied and to enable the momentum of said bobbin to cause said braking engagement when said tension is relieved.

4. A bobbin reel comprising a base, a rotatable disc supported thereon, means for supporting a bobbin in driving relation to said disc, a lever pivoted eccentrically of said disc and having a pair of spaced brake shoes overhanging the opposite edge of said disc but slightly spaced therefrom when said lever is centered substantially on the axial plane of said disc, means tending to move said lever into braking position when vsaid disc is rotated in either direction, the opposite en'd ofv said lever having a substantially V-shaped notch therein, a substantially bailshaped bridle pivoted for swinging movement on said base and adapted to be raised by tension applied to a strand being unvvound from said bobbin, and means on said bridle arranged to cooperate with said notch to center said lever when strand tension is applied and to release said lever for braking operation when said tension is released.

5. In a bobbin reel, a disc rotatable with a bobbin supported in said reel, friction means associated with said disc and having a limited lateral movement by rotary movement of said bobbin in either direction, and additional means controlled by the movement of said friction means in either direction to lock said bobbin against rotation in the same direction, and means operable by applied strand tension to make said locking means ineffective as long as said tension is applied.

6.1m a bobbin reel, a frame having means for supporting a bobbin, a member rotatable With said bobbin, a lever pivoted for free movement on said frame and having its free end normally in frictional engagement with said member for limited movement of said free end in the direction of rotation of said member, means on said lever to prevent further rotation of said member after a limited movement thereof in either direction, and means operable by the tension of a strand being unwound to position said lever to enable free rotation of said member as long as said tension is applied.

WOLFGANG HERMANN. 

